One Nation's New South Wales leader, Mike Newman, has clarified his comments made at an anti-abortion rally on Tuesday night, stating that the party wants to restrict certain abortions rather than stop them entirely. Newman said he "made a mistake" in how he presented the party's position.
Newman's Clarification After Rally Comments
At the rally, which was pushing for the NSW parliament to restrict abortion access, Newman said: "We want to make sure that abortion rights … we want to stop it." He also said, "We want to make sure that same-sex, sorry, abortion is stopped," and that, if elected, One Nation would ensure a "right to life … that babies live".
On Wednesday, Newman told the ABC Upper Hunter that One Nation does not advocate for an outright ban on abortion but is opposed to late-term and sex-selective abortions. "I own that 100% we do not want to stop abortion outright," Newman said. "What we're talking about is late-term and sex-selection abortion, which we want to put an end to."
One Nation's Policy and Pauline Hanson's Position
One Nation's formal policy is listed as "pro-life" and states the party "will seek every opportunity to roll back brutal and extreme abortion law", but it does not specify at what point in pregnancy abortions would become illegal. The party's federal leader, Pauline Hanson, has said she is not against abortion in the first trimester, a position not reflected in the party's formal policy.
Newman also said the party wants to ensure "reproductive rights are protected" and that "some people, for medical reasons, first trimesters and whatnot, should have a choice". He mentioned cases where "babies being born and left in a petri dish to die", apparently referring to the debunked "babies born alive" idea.
Context of Anti-Abortion Activism in NSW
Newman attended the rally alongside controversial campaigner Joanna Howe, who has been accused of spreading misinformation and bullying NSW politicians. Howe wants to "end abortion" and have anyone involved in abortions at any stage face murder charges. Newman is not the first One Nation figure to appear at an anti-abortion event; Barnaby Joyce, after joining One Nation, appeared at a June event organised by Howe.
The clarification comes as NSW parliament is set to vote on legislation introduced by Libertarian upper house member John Ruddick to make sex-selective abortions illegal. The state's health minister, Ryan Park, said there is no evidence such a practice is occurring, and experts have warned the push is part of a broader move to restrict abortion access. Research shows that in the year to 2020, three of 15,973 abortions were done for sex-selective purposes. The practice is already banned in NSW, with health practitioners potentially facing professional misconduct charges, but abortion as a whole is decriminalised.
Interview and Evidence Questions
Speaking on News24 on Wednesday, Newman said Howe had told him sex-selective abortions were happening. Host Laura Jayes asked why he was "putting so much stock" in what Howe told him, and he said he didn't "have any reason to disbelieve her". Jayes repeatedly asked Newman what evidence he had for the prevalence of sex-selective and late-term abortions besides Howe's claims. Newman conceded that late-term abortions are very rare. The bill is not expected to pass, although it could be close.
